one must presume, at best, that he would have been an able tyrant; and yet I should suspect that a man, who, sitting coolly in his chamber, could forge but a weak apology for the prerogative, would not have exercised it very wisely.  I knew personally and well both Mr. Hume and Mr. Gray, and thought there was no degree of comparison between their understandings; and, in fact, Mr. Hume’s writings were so superior to his conversation, that I frequently said he understood nothing till he had written upon it.  What you say, Sir, of the discord in his “History” from his love of prerogative and hatred of churchmen, flatters me much; as I have taken notice of that very unnatural discord in a piece I printed some years ago, but did not publish, and which I will show to you when I have the pleasure of seeing you here; a satisfaction I shall be glad to taste, whenever you will let me know you are at leisure after the beginning of next week.  I have the honour to be, Sir, &c.

[Footnote 1:  Mr. Colman was manager of the Haymarket Theatre.]

[Footnote 2:  It is difficult to judge what were the published letters of Lady Mary which Walpole could have seen.  If Mr. Pinkerton preferred them to those of Mme. de Sevigne, he could certainly have adduced plausible reasons for his preference.  There is far greater variety in them, as was natural from the different lives led by the two fair writers.  Mme. de Sevigne’s was almost confined to Paris and the Court; Lady Mary was a great traveller.  Her husband was English ambassador at Constantinople and other places, and her letters give descriptions of that city, of Vienna, the Hague, Venice, Rome, Naples, &c., &c.  It may be fitly pointed out here that in a letter to Lord Strafford Walpole expresses an opinion that letter-writing is a branch of literature in which women are likely to excel men; “for our sex is too jealous of the reputation of good sense to hazard a thousand trifles and negligences which give grace, ease, and familiarity to correspondence.”]

CRITICISM ON VARIOUS AUTHORS:  GREEK, LATIN, FRENCH, AND ENGLISH—­HUMOUR OF ADDISON, AND OF FIELDING—­WALLER—­MILTON—­BOILEAU’S “LUTRIN”—­“THE RAPE OF THE LOCK”—­MADAME DE SEVIGNE.

TO JOHN PINKERTON, ESQ.

June 26, 1785.

I have sent your book to Mr. Colman, Sir, and must desire you in return to offer my grateful thanks to Mr. Knight, who has done me an honour, to which I do not know how I am entitled, by the present of his poetry, which is very classic, and beautiful, and tender, and of chaste simplicity.